Profile: Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Inc. focuses on biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and blood testing. Our products include vaccines for influenza, meningitis, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis, polio, mumps, measles & rubella, tetanus & diphtheria, and pertussis. We develop an enhanced immunoassay to detect abnormal protein particles in blood and blood products that are associated with variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). This disease is a rare, degenerative, fatal brain disorder in humans. It is believed that the people who have developed this disease must have been infected through their consumption of contaminated cattle products. Our new products are designed to ensure a safer blood supply. We develop an enzymatic conversion system to convert A, B and AB red blood cells (RBC) to enzyme-converted group O RBCs (ECO RBCs). They are being developed to transfuse to all individuals, regardless of blood type, without transfusion reaction. We use transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) technology to simplify nucleic acid testing (NAT) by enabling simultaneous detection of multiple viruses in a single tube. The Procleix® target capture system (TCS) & dispense station performs the wash steps in target capture-based assays. Tecan® Genesis® robotic sample processor (RSP) automates the labor-intensive front-end pipetting steps for Procleix® assays and saves time. The Procleix® HIV-1/HCV assay detects both viruses in a single tube using TMA technology. This assay shortens the time period and increases the level of safety for donated blood, tissue and organs.